Establishment of Joint Center for Medical Genetics with Baylor College of Medicine

The Faculty of Medicine at CUHK and the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), USA signed a MOU to establish the CUHK-BCM Joint Center for Medical Genetics with a vision to create a platform for professional training in clinical genetics, expert services for genetic disorders, and collaborative research with cutting-edge genetic and genomic technology. This is a new milestone in the collaboration in clinical genetics and genomics between the two universities, especially in relation to prenatal and postnatal diagnosis and treatment.

BCM is recognized for its excellence in medical genetics, and its Department of Molecular and Human Genetics ranked top among similar departments in the US in the total awarded funding from the National Institutes of Health. Since 2012, CUHK and BCM have been collaborating in clinical genetic training, prenatal diagnosis and related areas. BCM has also assisted CUHK to develop a number of genetic courses, including the first Master of Science in Medical Genetics Programme in Hong Kong.

Prof. Joseph Sung remarked, ‘Genetic, Genomic and Precision Medicine have been identified as one of our key research themes in our next five-year strategic plan where developing cutting-edge research with global impact and societal contributions is of top priority. We are excited to take our cooperation to the next level and work toward making Hong Kong a center of excellence in clinical genetics and maternal fetal medicine.’